Obama to designate national monument in San Juan Islands

“The San Juan Islands will become the third national monument in Washington, joining Mt. St. Helens and Hanford Reach.”

March 21, 2013 at 9:00 PM

Posted by Jim Brunner of Seattle Times

President Obama plans to designate a national monument in the San Juan Islands, handing a long-sought victory to island residents and members of Washington’s congressional delegation.

Obama will sign a proclamation Monday creating the monument, a White House official said Thursday. The action will provide permanent protections for nearly 1,000 acres of undeveloped federal lands on the islands, including Lopez Island’s Iceberg Point and Chadwick Hill and the Cattle Point Lighthouse on San Juan Island.

The news was hailed by members of Washington’s congressional delegation who had worked for years to preserve the lands.

“We’re very pleased because it’s such an incredible unique spot in the United States… it will be permanently protected for generations to come,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell said in an interview Thursday.

The lands that islanders had sought to preserve are already federally owned and overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. While there were no apparent plans for the government to sell or develop the properties, the monument designation offers virtual certainty they will remain protected in perpetuity.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, credited “years of persistence” by environmental and business leaders who built a coalition to campaign for the monument.

“San Juan Islanders have been shouting from the rooftops for years: protect these lands. Well the president heard our message loud and clear,” Larsen said in a written statement.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray thanked Obama and outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for the action, saying in a statement through her office the San Juan Islands will now “join our nation’s most iconic parks, wildlife refuges, and landmarks as a permanent, federally protected national monument.”

The president’s authority to create national monuments was given by the Antiquities Act of 1906, first utilized by President Theodore Roosevelt to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. There are now more than 100 national monuments across the country, including the Grand Canyon, Statue of Liberty and Colorado’s Canyon of the Ancients.

The San Juan Islands will become the third national monument in Washington, joining Mt. St. Helens and Hanford Reach.

Along with the San Juans, Obama on Monday also will designate new national monuments in Delaware, Maryland and New Mexico, according to the White House.

First Day of Spring: The Skies Have It, as NOAA Catches the Vernal Equinox in Space

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network, March 20, 2013

At 7:45 ET, NOAA's GOES-13 satellite captured this full disk image of Earth, then photoshopped the sun into its relative position. — At 7:45 ET, NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite captured this full disk image of Earth, then photoshopped the sun into its relative position.

Spring may have arrived on Earth with a winterish whimper, but what’s happening in the sky is preordained.

At 7:02 a.m. Eastern Time, the plane emanating from Mother Earth’s Equator was also bisecting her guiding star, the two poles exactly perpendicular.

Less than an hour later, far above the Earth, at 7:45 Eastern Time, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s GOES-13 satellite captured this full disk image of Earth. The agency superimposed an image of the sun at its relative position and released a stunning photo.

On the ground it was nothing special, even generating complaints about a faux spring that did not generate a whit of warmth. But that did nothing to change what is going on astronomically between Mother Earth’s orbit and her guiding star. In fact, it’s more like New Year’s.

“Although popularly described as ‘the first day of spring’ in the Northern Hemisphere, the annual event is actually much more important than that,” reports space.com, explaining the significance of the sun’s position in the sky in relation to earth’s ecliptic. “More than any other event, it marks the beginning of the astronomical year.”

The vernal equinox, which marks the first day of the northern Spring season, occurred at 7:02 a.m. EDT on March 20, 2013. (Image: Starry Night Software/Space.com)

On this day the sun switches from the south to the north side of the celestial equator during the spring equinox, Space.com explained. Above is a look at what the sun’s position would be against the stars, if we were to dim our star so as to see it in context.

We are quite possibly spoiled from last year, when March temperatures were at a record high, the Washington Post said. This year they are unseasonably cool. However, those warm spring days are just a matter of time.

“Yet no matter what the weather outside, the spring equinox is a reminder that incoming sunlight is significantly stronger as the Earth’s northern hemisphere begins to tilt toward the sun,” the Washington Post said. “Even as winter overstays its welcome for some, we now see more daylight than darkness. That means spring can’t be far behind.”

Thornton Media Launches Kickstarter Campaign for 3-D Video Game To Teach New Languages Including Cherokee

By Ralph Richardson, Indian Country Today Media Network

In our highly competitive global economy, learning a new language is back in vogue, whether it’s Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic—or Cherokee. There are a plethora of programs, applications and schools to help people hone their communication abilities. Now comes a new strategy: Don Thornton, founder and president of Thornton Media, Inc. and a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, has developed Talking Games, the first 3-D video game that teaches language.

“The problem is that too many language courses are sitting on shelves gathering dust,” Thornton says. “The reason is boredom. You simply can’t get the player to continue using the game for hundreds of hours because they are bored. We intend to make language learning more fun.”

Don Thornton

Thornton has utilized new technology to help preserve the language of his ancestors. “Our video game model is a true paradigm shift in the language software industry,” he claims. “It’s a disruptive technology advance that will change the way all languages are learned.”

Thornton says his grandmother, Lucinda Robbins, taught Cherokee in her home-town of Tahlequah, Oklahoma for 40 years. “While visiting her I purchased a Cherokee-English dictionary near her home, which I showed to her for her opinion,” he recalls. “She flipped through it and said she knew the professor who wrote it and commented that he used to ‘come over and ask me how to say words when I was sitting on my porch.’”

Eventually the professor didn’t even bother to sit on Robbins’ porch and “would just drop off lists of words and she would fill them out for him. He did this for three years. I flipped through the dictionary thinking at least he must have thanked her profusely for her help. But her name didn’t appear anywhere in the book. She told me about many similar projects that she had worked on. She translated books for people into Cherokee, and had a request to narrate the entire New Testament—a two-year project. At no time did she ever get paid for these major projects or even receive a copy of the work. It got me thinking how Indians don’t have control over their own cultural property and must rely on others.”

Determined to bring Cherokee back to the Cherokee, Thornton says he “started the company by adapting the world’s first ‘smart toy’ to teach an indigenous language.” He claims that development of Talking Games has created many “endangered language firsts,” including the first handheld translator, first two-way translator, first Nintendo DS language-learning apps, first language learning apps in the iTunes Store, and first language learning video game for an endangered language.

“All of the R&D for these projects was paid for out-of-pocket,” Thornton states proudly. “No grants. We have created custom language tools for more than 170 tribes and First Nations.”

All of this came from his desire to honor his grandmother, who, he says, “died in December 2012 at the age of 92. She was the best Cherokee speaker in our family.”

Earlier this month, Thornton was a speaker on the panel “Mobile Devices and Indian Country” at the National Reservation Economic Summit 2013 Conference with Jamie Richardson, senior systems engineer for Apple Inc. “The conference brings together American Indian businesses and corporations,” Thornton says. “I was the only panelist invited to speak with Apple about mobile apps.”

Despite his successes, Thornton still needs the support of Indian country to continue his work. His Kickstarter campaign launched on March 11, and his goal is to produce his game in both Cherokee and Spanish. Thornton hopes the inclusion of Spanish, which he says is the most requested second language in the country, will subsidize the inclusion of Cherokee. “If we are successful in launching this project it will benefit the revitalization of all endangered languages,” he says.

TRANS TK. e future for Talking Games looks bright, because the game Thornton has developed is engaging and fun. Users fight zombies, wrestle Bigfoot, and escape from aliens—all while learning a language. “The virtual world we create for Talking Games is not meant to simply recreate a town or community, but to create a ‘suspension of disbelief,’” Thornton says. “We want the player to sort of’ forget they are playing a game. This is the reason for the amazing addictive power of immersive video games. When you read a great book or see a great movie, you become lost in it, and part of your brain actually forgets you are playing a game. We use 3D characters that you interact with in our virtual world.”

Talking Games video still of Cecil and Cindy meeting for the first time (Thornton Media)

No special glasses or equipment are required to play Talking Games. It is a role-playing game, or RPG, with 3D characters that exist in 3 dimensions, like Grand Theft Auto. In Talking Games, the player controls the main character, Charlie Vann, gets a head injury in a car crash and forgets how to speak Cherokee. His family and friends must help him to regain his language. The obstacles he must overcome include zombies, Bigfoot, and aliens. “The problem with most ‘serious games,’ Thornton says, “is that the motivation to play the game is external. You are ordered to play the game by your superiors, for instance. There are no internal motivators to play, making the game fun to play.”

Talking Games also differs from other language learning programs in that users must speak to play the game. In addition, Talking Games provides what Thornton calls an “immersion environment.” Virtual characters can only respond to the language the user speaks. These aspects of the Talking Games system create a richer learning environment.

Thornton says he has commissioned third party studies on 25,000 military personnel learning Arabic that show that video games that teach languages are “more effective than traditional methods” of language learning. “When you attempt to learn a new language, one of the biggest fears is that you will speak incorrectly and will be laughed at,” he explains. “There is a moment where you look the other person in the eye to see if they understood you. Some people are not bothered by making mistakes in public, but most people feel very uncomfortable if they make a mistake. Talking Games provides a safe environment to practice basic conversation. If you make a mistake in front of a video game character, it’s really not that big of a deal.”

Cecil negotiates with Coyote (Thornton Media)

This innovator in the area of language learning says he launched Thornton Media in 1995 “to create custom language tools to help indigenous communities to revitalize their languages while retaining control over their own cultural property.” Now, Thornton says, his company is still the “only language tool company in the world that retains no ownership over the cultural property of our Native communities.”

With the introduction of Talking Games, Thornton says he has expanded his goals to promote accelerated learning of all languages—but the heart and soul of his company remains with the languages of original peoples, like his grandmother. “Part of our efforts and profits,” he says, “will always be devoted to the revitalization of endangered languages.”

Support Thornton Media’s Kickstarter campagin at http://kck.st/WhweWy.

Complicit in Killing the Earth: Of Pepsi Challenges and Democrats and Republicans

By Gyasi Ross, Indian Country Today Media Network

A few months ago—right up until Election Day—many of our people messaged and pontificated like crazy to point out that there are serious and profound differences between the two political parties. This past election was presented as the ultimate Pepsi Challenge©; in a blind-folded taste test, Native people chose Barack Obama and Democrats 2 to 1!!

A few years ago, I was one of those people—I worked on the President’s campaign and honestly thought that we were entering a new generation of progressive politics, where Democrats moved back to respecting our people and the Earth. But at that time, I didn’t get the punchline of the Pepsi Challenge, the fine print that we never hear on the commercials:

“Whichever you choose will still kill you.”

That is, whichever choice you make—Pepsi or Coke—both are horrible choices. YES, one might taste better to you—you dig the spiciness of Coke or prefer to catch the wave of Pepsi. Still, when you finish that refreshing can of pop, you’ve just ingested exactly the same high fructose corn syrup, brominated vegetable oils. Both brands will kill your teeth, makes you fat, causxe erectile dysfunction, etc etc…No matter which one you choose, both Coke AND Pepsi do that. Therefore, while one might be nominally better, they both kill you.

And just like pop kills Native people disproportionately, this Keystone XL pipeline will disproportionately affect Native sacred sites, unmarked Native grave sites, our aboriginal homelands.

We’re seeing that same scenario play out in politics with the Keystone XL Pipeline. The party that is supposed to be pro-environment, the Democrats, are working hand-in-hand with the party that unabashedly loves scorching the Earth, the Republicans, to absolutely kill any possibility of yours and my grandchildren and great-grandchildren having a quality of life that even remotely approaches ours.

Make no mistake, our grandchildren are screwed if this thing goes through. The Keystone XL pipeline and our dependence upon fossil fuels generally will ensure that. Think Soylent Green. Think Children of Men. Think Planet of the Apes, except with no talking apes (I don’t think). As we speak, the supposedly different Democrats and Republicans are conspiring together to kill the Earth, trample over Native burial grounds and sacred sites. In fairness, President Obama has noted that the Keystone XL pipeline is not a major job creator, and perhaps that will be a basis for rejecting this especially since some 68% of his voters disapprove of this project.

I hope so.

Still, as noted previously, the President effectively gave himself cover when the State Department rubber-stamped the environmental impact statement and said the pipeline would have “no significant impact to the environment,”

Pepsi and Coke will both kill us—there really is no choice. Instead, we need to drink water, a radical choice, in order to live. Similarly, we need to start earnestly looking for a radical option to the political parties that are killing us—the Green Party, Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke, help us please!! Funny, the things that get characterized as “radical” are the ones that will keep us alive.

We fell for the political Pepsi Challenge—God help us all. God help our kids, Native and non-Native, even more—they’re gonna need it.

Contact your Senator — the information is here. Tell them “no.”

Gyasi Ross
Blackfeet Nation
Activist/Attorney/Author
Twitter: @BigIndianGyasi
www.cutbankcreekpress.com

Washington unemployment rate unchanged at 7.5 percent

“More than 3,300 unemployed workers ran out of unemployment benefits last month.”

By RACHEL LA CORTE — Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington gained 4,000 jobs in February and unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.5 percent, new numbers released Wednesday show.

Economists with the state Employment Security Department said that overall, the state has added about 65,000 jobs over the past year, regaining about 70 percent of the more than 200,000 jobs lost during the recession.

“February was relatively uneventful,” department economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman said in a prepared news release. “The job growth was close to the monthly average for the past year, with no big surprises.”

The unemployment rate in Washington state in February 2012 was 8.4 percent.

Map and Date from Washington State Emplyement Security Department — Map and Date from Washington State Employment Security Department

Industries that saw the most growth included education and health services, up 3,000 jobs, manufacturing, up 2,900 and professional and business services, which gained 1,200 jobs.

Construction saw a loss of 3,600 jobs, leisure and hospitality, was down 1,100 and transportation, warehousing and utilities lost 400.

Earlier this month, state economists reported that new numbers showed the state gained 24,100 jobs for the month of January, a number they expected would later be revised down. But Wednesday’s report revised that number up to 24,200 jobs.

The national unemployment rate for February was 7.7 percent.

An estimated 259,100 people in Washington were unemployed and looking for work in February, including nearly 140,000 who claimed unemployment benefits.

More than 3,300 unemployed workers ran out of unemployment benefits last month. A total of 132,165 people have exhausted their benefits since extended benefits were activated in July 2008

Tribal chairman: Land transfer will benefit timber counties

“The tribe could be the recipient of 14,500 acres of federal timberlands under a proposed transfer”

by Thomas Moriarty, The World

COOS BAY — The chairman of the Confederated Tribes said its proposed acquisition of more than 14,000 acres of federal timberlands will ultimately benefit Oregon timber counties.

The tribe could be the recipient of 14,500 acres of federal timberlands under a proposed transfer circulated for discussion this month by Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Bob Garcia, chairman of the tribal council for the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, said its goal is long-term stewardship of culturally important lands.

“We believe our active management will put more people on the ground than are currently there,” Garcia said. “We’re talking more foresters, more biologists, people working on stream restorations.”

None of the lands under consideration for transfer are currently impacted by a federal injunction to protect marbled murrelet populations. “Our attempt was to try to find lands that were non-controversial.”

The chairman said the timberlands will be managed under a very similar model to that currently used in the status quo — including the completion of environmental impact statements.

“We’re talking about lands going from the Bureau of Land management to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, still within the federal government.”

One initial concern, raised by Association of O&C Counties President Doug Robertson, was that O&C counties would lose timberlands, potentially harming county revenue.

The lands in question currently fall under the O&C Act of 1937, which set aside millions of acres of timber land for economic activity in 18 Oregon counties. The act covers land reclaimed by the government in 1916 after the Oregon & California Railroad Company violated the terms of a federal grant.

In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Wyden committed to a no-net-loss policy regarding O&C lands, saying the total acreage will remain the same under any tribal land conveyance legislation

The difference, Garcia said, is that the land will receive much more active management under tribal control than it does under current federal forest planning. And that means more jobs.

The chairman said he believes the tribes and the O&C counties ultimately have similar intentions.

“We’re talking about how we can put people to work and how we can make Oregon counties prosper,” he said. “Tribal control is local control.”

Source

Reporter Thomas Moriarty can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 240, or by email at thomas.moriarty@theworldlink.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty.

Native American artists take back the headdress

“Appropriation of cultural Regalia, such as the war bonnet …causes sacred objects to lose their power when they are represented out of context,” wrote Luger in his artist statement.

By Marianne Combs

When Dyani White Hawk Polk asked a group of artists for work for her exhibition “Make it Pop,” she was looking for contemporary pieces responding to issues of the day.

“We’ve had somber exhibits, politically driven, fine art,” says White Hawk Polk, sitting at her desk in All My Relations Gallery. “I wanted this to feel more playful and cutting edge, something that really speaks to our youth and people interested in pop culture as well as fine art lovers.”

White Hawk Polk got what she was looking for; the colorful show reflects and comments on popular culture in a number of ways. Interestingly, two artists – Frank Buffalo Hyde and Cannupa Hanska Luger – chose to focus on an issue that has many Native Americans upset: the appropriation of Native Regalia by popular culture – in particular, the headdress.

"In-Appropriate 3," a painting by Frank Buffalo Hyde responding to the use of a Native American headdress and jewelry on a Victoria's Secret model at a fashion show held on November 7, 2012. — “In-Appropriate 3,” a painting by Frank Buffalo Hyde responding to the use of a Native American headdress and jewelry on a Victoria’s Secret model at a fashion show held on November 7, 2012.

White Hawk Polk says she wasn’t surprised.

“It’s always been an issue,” reflects White Hawk Polk. “It’s always been there, but this past year, year and a half, it’s just been prolific.”

Native Americans belong to many different tribes spread across Native North America. But the headdress, or war bonnet, is a universal symbol of great spiritual importance worn only by highly respected individuals.

Read full article and see photos here

Razor clam dig starts March 28; more digs tentatively set for April

Easter weekend clamming

March 20, 2013
Contact: Dan Ayres, (360) 249-1209

OLYMPIA – State shellfish managers have approved a four-day razor clam dig starting March 28 and scheduled tentative dates for additional openings in April.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the late-March dig after marine toxin test showed the clams are safe to eat.

Twin Harbors beach will be open for morning razor clam digging March 28-31.

Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks will be open to digging March 29-30.

No digging will be allowed at any beach after noon. The schedule, along with morning low tides, is:

March 28, Thurs., 7:57 a.m., -0.3 ft., Twin Harbors
March 29, Fri., 8:40 a.m., -0.6 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis, Mocrocks
March 30, Sat., 9:26 a.m., -0.7 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis, Mocrocks
March. 31, Sun., 10:16 a.m., -0.6 ft., Twin Harbors

By law, clam diggers are limited to 15 razor clams per day, and are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.

All diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2012-13 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses, ranging from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license, are available on WDFW’s website at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov and from license vendors around the state.

Meanwhile, WDFW has tentatively scheduled two morning digs in April, subject to favorable marine toxin tests. Final word on these digs will be posted on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/current.html.

Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, reminds diggers they will need to purchase a 2013-14 license to participate in the April openings, since current fishing licenses expire at midnight March 31. Licenses are available online (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/), by phone (1-866-320-9933) and from license dealers around the state.

Tentative opening dates in April, along with morning low tides, are:

April 9, Tues., 6:39 a.m., 0.0 ft., Twin Harbors
April 10, Wed., 7:19 a.m., -0.3 ft., Twin Harbors
April 11, Thurs., 7:57 a.m., -0.4 ft., Twin Harbors
April 12, Fri., 8:34 a.m., -0.4 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 13, Sat., 9:11 a.m., -0.2, ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 14, Sun., 9:49 a.m., +0.1, ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 24, Wed., 6:10 a.m., -0.3 ft., Twin Harbors
April 25, Thurs., 6:54 a.m., -1.0 ft., Twin Harbors
April 26, Fri., 7:38 a.m., -1.5 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 27, Sat., 8:24 a.m., -1.7 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 28, Sun., 9:11 a.m., -1.7 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
April 29, Mon., 10:01 a.m., -1.5 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach and Mocrocks
April 30, Tues., 10:55 a.m., -1.0 ft., Twin Harbors

3 Ways to Catch Razor Clams

From Do it yourself

Razor clams are coastal shellfish, known for their rarity and their meaty contents. Found in the sand of the intertidal coastal beaches, they can be harvested in several ways.

The best way to start is to get to the beach is early in the morning, so you can follow the tide out. First, look for a “clam show.” At the edge of the surf line, there will be small dimples or holes in the wet sand as the water ebbs. It’s where the clam has stuck its neck out and tried to dig to go back to the sea. As soon as you see the telltale hole, start quickly with one of these methods:

Tools you will need gloves (razor clams are so named because of the sharp edges of their shells), ice chest, clam gun or tube (for1st way), clam shovel or other sharp curved, narrow bladed shovel (for 2nd way) and table salt (for 3rd way). Although, the tools will majorly depend on how you are catching clams.

Ways to Catch Razor Clams:

1. With a Tube or “Clam Gun”

The tube, or “clam gun,” you need for razor clams is about 2-3 feet long and 4 inches in diameter, with a ½ inch hole at the top. Stainless steel or metal will work best for digging in wet sand. The best idea is to just go to a fishing supply store and get a clam gun, but if you have something similar it could work just as well. A clam gun has a T-shaped top so you don’t have to try and cover it with your fingers while digging.

When you spot a clam show, place the tube around it, with the hole in the center and work the tube down into the sand at least 2 feet. Then cover the hole at the top and remove the tube. Empty the tube onto the beach and take the clam or clams out and put it in your ice chest. Clam guns can be difficult to use on rocky or pebble-filled beaches.

2. Dig With a Clam Shovel

Once you locate the holes in the sand, dig quickly with a clam shovel. Go straight down about 3-6 inches from the center of the clam show. Place the back of the shovel facing the hole and begin removing sand. Don’t curve it toward the center of the hole because you risk cutting the clam off at the neck or breaking the shell. Keep scooping straight down until you expose the clam. Then reach in and carefully grab it by the neck or shell and place it in your ice chest.

3. Salt Them Out

Razor clams are extremely sensitive to salinity. One way to reduce your effort and have the clams come to you is to use table salt. As soon as you see the show, when it is open widest, pour salt into the hole. The clam should emerge in order to escape the salt and then just catch it and place it in your ice chest.

Be sure to check fishing rules and seasons with the Department of Fish and Wildlife (1-866-880-5431). There’s a limit on how many clams you can harvest at one time. So be very careful when digging, especially with the clam shovel. The clams are fairly delicate and break easily. Clams with broken shells will die, but they will also count for your total, so don’t discount the broken ones. They can still be eaten, just harder to clean.

Lawmakers offer bill to ban ‘Redskins’ trademark

Participate in the poll here!

By Ben Pershing,

Mar 20, 2013 08:52 PM EDT

The Washington Post Published: March 20

A group of U.S. House members has offered a bill that would prohibit the term “Redskins” from being trademarked, as the debate over the NFL team’s name expands from the legal system and the court of public opinion to Capitol Hill.

Del. Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa) has authored the Non-Disparagement of American Indians in Trademark Registrations Act of 2013, which would cancel all existing federal trademarks using “Redskins” to refer to Native Americans and prohibit future trademarks as well. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) — a critic of the team’s name — is an original co-sponsor, along with Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Karen Bass (D-Calif.).

A Redskins spokesman said the team had no comment on the bill.

There is no guarantee that the measure will even receive a committee hearing in the House, much less a vote. But it comes at a sensitive time: Earlier this month in Alexandria, a three-judge panel on the federal Trademark Trial and Appeal Board heard arguments over whether the term Redskins should be considered a slur and therefore not worthy of trademark protection.

It could be a year, the Associated Press reported, before the judges issue a ruling in the case, which stems from a petition by five Native Americans. And even if the Redskins lost their trademark, they wouldn’t necessarily have to change their name. But it would be easier for other businesses and people to cut into the franchise’s profits by selling paraphernalia with the name on it.

Critics of the team’s name also spoke up during a forum last month at the National Museum of the American Indian, saying that the term is demeaning, and dismissing the franchise’s argument that the word is meant to honor Native Americans rather than disparage them.

For her part, Norton recently told the Hill newspaper that the Redskins “should consider” a new moniker. “I am a fan of the Redskins. I’m just not a fan of their name,” she said.

District Mayor Vincent Gray has also weighed in on the subject, albeit carefully.

“I would love to be able to sit down with the team … and see if a change should be made,” Gray said in January, though he later clarified that he simply meant the subject would likely be discussed if the Redskins were to move back to the RFK Stadium site, which is on federal land.

Nooksack tribe faces fierce dispute over tribal membership

Four members of the Nooksack Indian Tribe have filed a lawsuit in tribal court hoping to overturn a tribal council action stripping them and 302 other people of tribal membership.

Published: March 19, 2013

By JOHN STARK — THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

The Nooksacks, headquartered in Deming, operate two Whatcom County casinos and have about 2,000 members, according to information on the tribal website. If the council’s Feb. 12, 2013, action stands, the tribe would lose about 15 percent of its membership, including two members of the current eight-member tribal council. Those who are stricken from tribal membership rolls would lose access to tribal housing and health care benefits, as well as tribal fishing rights.

Tribal Chairman Bob Kelly has not responded to a request for comment.

The lawsuit asks the tribal court to issue an immediate stay to block the disenrollment of tribal members, pending full court review of the issues. The four plaintiffs are Sonia Lomeli, Terry St. Germain, Norma Aldredge and Raeanna Rabang.

In a press release from Moreno Peralta, one of the 306 who is acting as spokesman, Peralta said the disenrollment that he and others face is “simply a matter of tribal family politics and vengeance” being carried out by Kelly and his supporters

.Among those facing loss of tribal membership is former tribal chairman Narz Cunanan. Kelly unseated Cunanan in a 2010 tribal election.

The move to disenroll 306 people affects primarily the members of the Rabang, Rapada, and Narte-Gladstone families. Peralta charged that the disenrollment was motivated by the fact that the families are also part Filipino.”It is racism and cultural genocide that we are facing,” Peralta said in the press release.

But another Nooksack member, Bernita Madera, scoffed at the idea that the move to disenroll is based on anti-Filipino sentiment.

Madera said she and many other Nooksacks have Filipino ancestors, but they also have solid credentials qualifying them for membership in the Nooksack tribe. Those now facing disenrollment do not, she contended.

“We can show our Nooksack lineage,” Madera said. “We have our family tree. They don’t.”

Madera, who is not a member of the tribal council, said Kelly and other council members have been advised by a tribal attorney not to comment to media.

Kelly’s action against the 306 has widespread support among other tribal members, Madera said.

The dispute over the tribal identity of the 306 people is a new eruption of a dispute that has been smoldering since at least the year 2000. At that time, several members of the Rabang family were facing federal prosecution for drug-smuggling offenses. Other tribal members contended that the Rabang family and its allies had infiltrated the tribe by exploiting a lax enrollment process, taking over tribal government and using it as a front for illegal activity. But nothing came of those accusations.

The tribal court lawsuit, provided by the plaintiffs, delves into the complex legal issue of who is entitled to membership in the tribe. According to the lawsuit, the tribal constitution specifies that anyone with one-fourth Indian blood and any degree of Nooksack tribal ancestry is eligible for membership.

The lawsuit contends that tribal council members relied on an unconstitutional tribal ordinance stating that enrollment is open only to those who are descendants of people who got part of an original allotment of Indian land, or descendants of those who were on a tribal census from 1942.

The lawsuit states that the tribal council passed a resolution declaring the enrollments of the 306 to be “erroneous,” because those enrollments were based on descent from Annie James George and Andrew James, who were not on the census and not among the original recipients of tribal land allotments.

This too is a long-running dispute. As far back as 1996, tribal officials were consulting with an attorney about possible disenrollment of the descendants of Annie George, according to a letter from the attorney to the tribe. The Bellingham Herald recently obtained a copy of that letter.

The tribal council approved the resolution to disenroll those whose membership was based solely on descent from George and James after a seven-hour closed session held Feb. 12 without the participation of council members Rudy St. Germain and Michelle Roberts, according to plaintiffs. St. Germain and Roberts are among the 306 faced with loss of tribal status.

Two days later, the council began sending “notice of intent to disenroll” letters to those affected.

On March 6, tribal chairman Kelly sent letters to all tribal members providing his view of the matter. Kelly’s letter, provided by plaintiffs, says the 306 affected tribal members will have 30 days to appeal to tribal council and provide evidence of their eligibility for membership.

“Those who do not respond will be automatically disenrolled,”

Kelly’s letter states. “They will no longer be qualified for tribal housing, medical facilities, treaty-protected fishing or hunting rights, or any other rights reserved to Nooksack tribal members.”Kelly’s letter also states, “Obviously, we do not take this duty lightly, nor do we assume the responsibility with any sense of joy. Many of the more than 300 people who will be affected by this action are individuals you may know. You might attend meetings or socialize with them. Your children might go to school with them.”

Madera said she and other tribe members have already organized a recall petition against St. Germain and Roberts, paying the $500 petition filing fee in both cases and gathering the required minimum of 126 signatures.

As she understands it, the petition now empowers the tribal council to remove the two from the council if they choose to do so.

Reach John Stark at 360-715-2274 or john.stark@bellinghamherald.com. Read his politics blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/politics or follow him on Twitter at @bhamheraldpolitics.